assessment for sgo.

Beverley, I may have missed a post, and apologise if this has already been covered. Are you legally represented, and a party to the proceedings? Is your solicitor on the Family panel?
If the answer to any of those questions is no, I'd strongly recommend you get a solicitor whose name is on the panel of family lawyers. My experience is that the local authority (social work dept) will be asked by the court to pay any legal expenses you incur.
I'm not trying to alarm you in any way, as the Children Act is clear, that if a court decides children cannot grow up with their parents, a viability assessment of any relative who asks to care for the children has to be done. You have already passed the viability, and gone on to a full assessment so the signs so far are positive. The issues about contact raised by the sw, and those about the relationship between you and your husband have to be explored, but by raising them, the sw is (I expect) identifying the only areas of concern. They can be addressed I would think.
good luck with all of this

i am not party to the preceedings and couldnt afford to be as i gave up my job initially to help my daughter, and since ive separated from my husband ive had to claim jsa.
i wouldnt have a clue how to become party with social services paying the bill?

Beverley6 - have pm'd you, hope that's ok. If not, ignore it.

right we have been to court. both parents have now been ruled out due to not be able to keep apart. my assessment is good, the concern being how i could manage contact with being my daughters mum, this is all in the report and as no one had a copy to read not sure what happens there?

my brother and his wife put themselves forward just before xmas to be assessed, for completely selfish reasons, but my daughter agreed to it as a 'just in case'.
they have been together for about 22 years and have an awful relationship. there is no communication what so ever and are always on the verge of splitting up. when i spoke to my sis in law about it she said that she had always wanted to foster, and that baby would never want for anything, not that she will with you but we have so much more money.
last night she was texting me back and forth saying how she was definately leaving this time, moving into rented accommodation etc.

today the social workers words were that my brother and his wife are 'in the lead'. i asked why and wasnt given an answer, my daughters solicitor seem to think it could be the contact issue, but my assessment has to be completed in 7 days (i thought it aready was) and that the guardian is coming to visit me.
i cannot believe we are now in this position, 1 family member against the other as its totally unfair. i have spoken to my bro and sis in law today and asked them if its a good idea for them to be assessed as they are splitting up? they both said that they have told sw they have issues but are willing to work on them for babys sake and will stay together for babys sake. they have never met baby, have never bothered and live at the othe end of the country.
my daughter is adament she wants baby to come to me, but we just have to wait and see.

beverley6 Casually mention to any SW that you are surprised your B and SiL offered to have baby as they have never yet met them. Do not be anti them, just express surprise and then leave it.

Good luck, we are all rooting for you.

You must be feeling exhausted Beverley6. Please get a solicitor. If your daughter's partner is such a risk they have been ruled out, the fact they both know where you live etc is a risk, but no more than it would be for the aunt and uncle. If their assessment hasn't started, how can they be 'in the lead'.

If the sw report has been written, ask for a copy of it. If it hasn't, do you feel up to phoning the sw and asking them to visit, before the guardian does, so that you are up to date with any concerns the sw has already passed on to the guardian. It sounds as though contact is the main worry. Given the father's behaviour, your daughter's inability to separate from him and the fact you understandably want to support your daughter, it isn't impossible to see where the concerns come from. I think earlier in this thread you said of course you would follow advice, and put the baby first. This is the first time you've been in this situation. The sw and CG will be familiar with many similar family situations, and so have heightened awareness of the possible risks, and the need to make permanent plans for this little baby as soon as is possible. Family Rights Group have a good website with information for kinship assessment/carers. Any good family lawyer would be in a position to give you independent advice, yet act on your instructions. Good luck

i haven't seen a copy of the report, but was told there was a copy downstairs which the sw was privy to.

i feel that as a family placement is what sw is now looking at, better one of us than none of us, although as i said i do have concerns regarding my brothers marriage. my daughters solicitor said to me today that it reflects good on me that when asked about my daughter still having contact with her boyfriend i was honest and said yes they have been seeing each other this is how i know etc.
he also said that as the guardian was coming to visit me, she may feel that im still the best option and that would out weigh the sw, but that if she is in favor of my brother having the baby and rejects me as a possibilty thats when i need to get my own solicitor.

and for the record, when my family spoke to sw today, she told them that they were looking to place baby at the beginning of February, and as there assessment is only going to take place over 2 days, the 20th & 21st of january, as my brother is a london cabby and works away from home, how can they possibly make a decision on them in 2 days? when my assessment was over 4 weeks and apparently is still not complete?
somebody please help me to understand this???????????

beverley I am horrfied that you have not seen your assessment report. The assessing social worker has not completed his or her job if this has not been shared with you. You have every right to demand to see this report before or at the time of the guardian's visit. This is the only way you can know and understand the concerns that are being highlighted. You would then be in a better position to understand why another family member is being viewed more favourably.

I am also concerned that this is being looked at as an SGO application at this stage. I suggest you ask the guardian (and/or social worker) why you cannot be considered as a 'family and friend foster carer' which would allow you to be given support and allow the local authority time to further assess the contact arrangements and satisfy themselves of your capacity to safeguard your grandchild. SGO could be considered at a later stage. Every local authority in England and Wales has to have a 'Kinship Care Policy' which should be published on their website. It is undoubtedly cheaper for the local authority if you are granted an SGO rather than becoming a foster carer but this is not a good reason for them to fob you off in this way.

Lastly, there are two excellent organisations which could advise you: the Family Rights Group and the Grandparents Association. Both have very good websites and helplines. It sounds to me as though the practice in your case is very muddled and I do not think you are being treated very professionally.

I have only just seen your last post beverley. This seems like another example of muddled practice. I can only assume they are looking to place the baby with your brother as a 'regulation 24' placement which allows a child to be placed with a 'connected person' ie a relative or close friend for up to 16 weeks during which time a full assessment would take place. If they are considering this for your brother (which I agree seems completely crazy given the lack of involvement so far) then I cannot for the life of me understand why they cannot consider the same for yourself. I think you have every right to raise this question with the guardian - why are different standards being applied with two different relatives?

i am on the family rights group forum, and have been keeping that up to date with how things have gone so far. i have posted the same as above on there today and am currently awaiting a response.
i have written down what yo have said nightowl so that i can raise these issue with the guardian.

who do i demand a copy of my report from? do i ring my daughters sw? or the sw that actually assessed me.
i think i may have said previously, she told me she would be visitng me before we got to court to share her report and didnt i had to ring her to find things out. she also never came back to collect my husbands crb form and its still sitting on my coffee table!

beverley - I don't agree with your daughter's solicitor that you only need legal representation if the sgo assessment goes against you. A good solicitor would be acting on your behalf now, communicating with the sw's legal department by phone and in writing.

I agree with Nightowl, is sounds very muddled and poor practice. Good to know you're on the FRG website.

beverley, do you have a contact number for the assessor who did the report? If so I would contact that person direct. At the same time, to avoid further delay, I think you should contact the child's social worker to ask the same thing. It is the local authority who have commissioned this assessment and they have a duty to ensure that the assessment is shared with you. If you meet with any resistance you can take it higher and ask to speak to a manager.

If you don't get anything before the guardian's visit I think you can say to the guardian that you feel unable to discuss the concerns properly because you have not had sight of the report and this puts you at a disadvantage.

I agree with Iam that you need legal representation. I can see that while the case is in care proceedings you will not be a party but if this proceeds to an SGO application you will automatically become a party. You would certainly benefit from some legal advice but I realise this might be difficult financially.

The idea of not sharing reports with their subject is out of the dark ages - you must insist upon seeing it.

have just spoken to the lady that did my assessment and of course she couldnt comment on anything at all not even why i hadnt got a copy of my report! waste of time there then.
i cannot afford a solicitor in any way shape or form and yes i know i could possibly get a free consultation, but ultimately couldnt afford to be represented.

beverley6 - this is getting worse isn't it. Try googling McKenzie Friends. I've been involved in a number of private law cases, that it complicated divorce/residence/contact situations, where one or both parents have not qualified for legal aid. Some of the McKenzie friend volunteers were enormously helpful. I'm sure that with the cut backs on legal aid, McKenzie Friends will be seen more often in care proceedings.

I suggest you phone the Children's Guardian. Their job is to represent the best interests of your grandchild in these proceedings. They are independent of the social work team, and when working as a CG I often contacted social workers, or asked the child's solicitor to write to the social workers legal department. If a grandparent phoned me to say they hadn't had a copy of the sw report, and that the sw "couldn't comment on anything" I'd have been making further enquiries about that.

how do i find the guardians number? i know her name but thats it.
i am once again sitting here waiting for sw to phone me back, her office said she was on her way to contact with my daughter and would ring me on the way. it takes her 10 minutes by car and its now 45 minutes later.
i want to ring family rights as i have done before but i dont want to miss a call from sw!
ive had no sleep what so ever has my mind wont shut off and am running on empty!

If you still haven't heard from the social worker phone again and ask for the duty social worker. If still no joy, ask for the team manager. The response of the assessor was appalling and grounds for complaint. That complaint would need to go to the local authority as they are responsible for the assessment. I can understand that you might be reluctant to take that step as you will not want unnecessary confrontation, but it is something to bear in mind. I am disgusted by the way you continue to be treated, but sadly not surprised.

i have just had a brief call form sw who managed to say that i hadnt been discounted and the date for my report to be filed is the 16th of jan, she also said that ther is no reason why the assessing sw would share my report with me? the connection on both mobiles was awful and she has said she ring me as soon as she gets back to the office.

ive also spoken to frg and they advised me to search out leagal aid family law solicitors.

That is complete nonsense beverley. Good luck getting legal advice as that's the way to go now

Beverley - I'm just back from a walk and logged on to see if you'd posted. I am not fully up to date on legal aid in care proceedings as there have been changes. BUT it has always been the case that parents get legal aid, and other parties, for example grandparents, can be legally aided. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I have experience of many grandparents/relatives where the court ordered the l.a. to meet their legal fees if for any reason legal aid wasn't available.

Make sure you get an appointment with a solicitor whose firm has a family department, and a lawyer who is on the children panel. Very best of luck, you must be so stressed by all this

i have spoken to sw who says that the regulation 24 would not be what they do, they dont use it, and that my report is positive although as i know there are issues regarding managing contact.
she has also told me that babys father has insisted today that baby be sent to my brother today ans she said to him that he knows nothing about them, has never met them etc why would he want his daughter being sent to someone that no one knows nothing about.
i forgot to ask so have text her asking her to pop a copy of my report in the post to me so i shall what response i get from that.

Hello Bev. The Guardian will be employed by CAFCASS. If you Google that, you'll find links to south/north etc offices with phone numbers. As you have the Guardian's name, someone at CAFCASS will be able to direct you to the office 'your' Guardian is based at. Guardians need to spend a lot of time away from their office so ask for the mobile number they can be contacted on. Good luck.

i have emailed the company of solicitors that is representing my daughter
and i will ring them first thing on monday morning.
i still feel myself in a dilemma however.

ive been speaking to my sis in law again this morning, she was in tears telling me how she really doesnt want to stay with my brother will definitely not be with him within the next few months, how would she cope with a baby now shes 42 and got some of her life back and doesnt want to give that up, but on the other hand how she would never forgive herself if they pulled out of being assessed and baby was adopted.

my main concern with this is that baby was removed from an argumentative volatile relationship and could likely be placed in another.
i dont feel that they will withdraw as my brother feels that having a baby will make her happy.
i wouldnt know who to voice these concerns with and certainly dont want to come across as petty at all, but they are valid concerns i feel.
supposedly the guardian is coming to see me to discuss my assessment but sw didnt think that that would happen, although the guardian said herself she is.
i feel really stuck with all this sorry for keep posting guys!

Beverley6 thanks for keeping us up to date. So many of us rooting for you and with some understanding of the emotionally painful situation you find yourself in.
I do hope the CG is experienced, and confident about exploring all the relevant issues with you. For what it's worth - I can't imagine any sw or CG considering the concerns you set out so calmly above, about the fact this little baby has been removed from one volatile, argumentative couple relationship and so should not be placed in another one as "petty"